


Back Like You Never Broke

by sperrywink



Category: The Losers (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2014-01-23
Packaged: 2018-01-09 19:19:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1149824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sperrywink/pseuds/sperrywink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the prompt: <a href="http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/225513.html?thread=9195753&posted=1#cmt9197289">The Losers, Cougar, living with the image of being 'mysterious'</a> by peaceful_sands</p>
            </blockquote>





	Back Like You Never Broke

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Dashboard Confessional's Belle of the Boulevard.
> 
> Unbetaed comment fic.

Cougar knew how he came across. It was mostly instinctual now to pull his hat down, or subtly adjust his body language to be less open. His persona as aloof and cold was firmly entrenched, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Or so he thought for the longest time.

At the beginning it was all faked of course. Just a defiant front for the emotions he had trouble hiding and containing. Acquiring the hat helped. It shaded his eyes, and people had to work to see the emotions shining in them. Most people didn’t.

Nowadays the emotions boiled less in him. He didn’t know if it was a matter of growing older, or a matter of growing colder. It could be six of one, half dozen of the other, at least he thought that on his good days. On his bad days, he felt dead inside.

Bad days were happening less and less now, though, ever since Jensen joined the team. In a matter of days, Jensen seemed to decide that Cougar was his straight man. That Cougar wasn’t really cold and dangerous, that he was just pretending to be unemotional to provide a better foil for Jensen’s jokes. The funny part, the part that Cougar barely understood himself, was that he laughed alongside Jensen. He wouldn’t even be aware he was smiling until he heard a rough chuckle come out of his own throat.

It was perplexing to say the least.

Looking over at Jensen now, who was needling Pooch about Cougar cheating at cards again, Cougar barked out a laugh, and then clamped his mouth shut. Jensen and Pooch turned towards him, Pooch in surprise, and Jensen with a pointing finger.

Jensen said, “Aha! I knew it! You cheater, you!” but he was smiling as he said it, so Cougar knew Jensen was only upset because Cougar cheated better than him. Cougar smirked back, but then his mouth, of its own volition, curled into a satisfied smile instead.

Jensen plopped down on the bench next to him, and said, “Don’t give me that Mona Lisa smile, I’m onto you.”

Cougar tilted his head. He had seen the Mona Lisa once while on furlough in France. He liked the comparison, so he settled his shoulder against Jensen’s, satisfied. He might not be the bad-ass, stone-cold killer he pretended to be, but he could still pull off mysterious.


End file.
